Apply thick film reactive coatings to protect building structure (concrete & steel)

Install | PBS003

This activity is about applying thick film reactive coatings to steel and concrete surfaces by spray, trowel and roller to manufacturers' instructions. This includes interpreting and checking information relating to installation, adopting safe, health and environmentally responsible work practices, selecting and using materials, components, tools and equipment, preparing and installing suitable products, minimising damage, and working within allocated time, in accordance with organisational requirements which are equal to or exceed current statutory and legislative requirements. This activity could be carried out during building construction or during maintenance activities.

Culture & behaviour

Core abilities

Culture & behaviour
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Effective working behaviours

You must:

  • Work within limits of defined capability and know when to seek advice from others
    • The individual understands what they are competent to do and what they are not competent to do. They seek advice from a supervisor if work they have been asked to do is outside their capability or if they are unsure about how to proceed. They practice the 'responsible no' and do not carry out work that they are not competent to do.
  • Work effectively individually and as part of a team
    • The individual takes responsibility for their own actions and works with the rest of their team to get the job done. They manage their own time effectively, keep their work area clean and tidy, comply with organisational requirements and procedures, and communicate effectively through oral, written or electronic means as appropriate.
  • Undertake defined personal development activities to maintain currency of competence
    • The individual keeps up to date with any personal development activities required, ensuring that their skills, knowledge and experience remain up to date.
Culture & behaviour
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Passive fire protection installation behaviours

You must:

  • Use organisational processes to flag up non-compliant works
    • The individual identifies where work may not be compliant and escalates this to their supervisor
  • Challenge apparently unsafe behaviours and activities, and report where necessary
    • The individual identifies potentially unsafe behaviours or activities, challenging these and bringing these to the attention of supervisors or others where needed. They put health, safety and well-being first.
  • Identify and manage risks to self and others
    • The individual identifies things that pose a risk to themselves or others, takes mitigating actions or escalates any issues to keep everyone safe.
  • Work in accordance with quality requirements and challenge where they are not being met
    • The individual identifies where quality requirements are not or may not be being met and raises this with their supervisor
Culture & behaviour
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Pro-environmental behaviours

You must:

  • Contribute to zero / low carbon outcomes in the built environment
Currency of competence
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Experience applying thick film reactive coatings

You must have:

  • Correct completion of a minimum of five applications each year, representative of scope of work
Core abilities
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Interpreting information in relation to fire protection to building structures

You must:

  • Know and understand why organisational procedures have been developed and how they are implemented
  • Know and understand types of information, their source and how they are interpreted in relation to:
    • drawings; specifications; schedules; risk assessments; method statements; work instructions; fire performance documentation and certification; manufacturers' information and instructions; third party certification; Codes of Practice; system owners' guidance; current regulations and guidance relating to installation of fire protection to the structural frame
  • Know and understand the importance of accurate information and reporting, and rectifying any concerns with information
  • Know and understand the range of relevant digital services tools and systems and how they are used:
    • weather checker; thickness checker / calculator; steel temperature checker (if appropriate)
  • Know and understand information for relevant, current legislation and official guidance and how it is applied

You must be able to:

  • Interpret information relating to the work and resources to confirm its relevance, including:
    • drawings; specifications; schedules; risk assessments; method statements; work instructions; task specific briefings; fire performance documentation and certification; manufacturers' information and instructions; third party licencing; system owners' guidance
Core abilities
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Safe working practices for installation of fire protection to building structures

You must:

  • Know and understand information for relevant, current legislation and official guidance and how it is applied
  • Know and understand the different types of fire extinguishers on site and how and when they are used
  • Know and understand how emergencies should be responded to in accordance with organisational authorisation and personal skills in relation to:
    • fire, spillages, injuries; emergencies relating to occupational activities; identification and reporting of asbestos containing materials
  • Know and understand the organisational security procedures for tools, equipment and personal belongings in relation to:
    • operative; site; workplace; company; vehicles; customer; the general public
  • Know and understand how to report risks and hazards identified by the following:
    • methods of work; risk assessments; personal assessments; manufacturers' technical information; task and toolbox talks; statutory regulations; official guidance; Control of Substances Hazardous to Health (COSHH); identification of asbestos containing materials; electrical safety shut offs and isolations (safe systems of work)
  • Know and understand the purpose and importance of risk assessment
  • Know and understand the accident reporting procedures and who is responsible for making the report
  • Know and understand why, when and how health and safety control equipment identified by the principles of prevention should be used in relation to:
    • collective protection measures; personal protective equipment (PPE); respiratory protective equipment (RPE); local exhaust ventilation (LEV)
  • Know and understand how to comply with environmentally responsible work practices to meet current legislation and official guidance
  • Know and understand the organisational procedures when dealing with potential accidents, health hazards and the environmental impact on site, and whilst working:
    • in the workplace; below ground level; in confined spaces; at height; with tools and equipment; with materials and substances; when moving and storing materials by manual handling and mechanical lifting
  • Know and understand how to safety undertake the operations and movement of plant and machinery
  • Know and understand how to work with, around and in close proximity to plant and machinery
  • Know and understand how to work at height using access equipment and systems

You must be able to:

  • Comply with the relevant, current legislation and official guidance to carry out the work and maintain safe and healthy working practices relating to the following:
    • methods of work and safety control measures; safe use of health and safety control equipment; safe use of access equipment; safe use, storage and handling of materials, tools and equipment; specific risks to health including mental health and wellbeing; specific risks associated with asbestos containing materials; daily activity briefings (DABS) or toolbox talks
Core abilities
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Minimising the risk of damage when installing fire protection to the structural frame

You must:

  • Know and understand how to protect work and its surrounding area from damage and the purpose of protection from general workplace activities, other occupations and adverse weather conditions
  • Know and understand how to minimise the damage to existing building fabric
  • Know and understand how the disposal of waste must be carried out safely in accordance with the following:
    • site requirements; environmental responsibilities; organisational procedures; manufacturers' information; statutory regulations; official guidance
  • Know and understand why it is important to maintain a safe, clear and tidy work area

You must be able to:

  • Comply with organisational procedures to minimise the risk of damage to work, surrounding area and environment by:
    • protecting the work and its surrounding area from damage; maintaining a safe, clear and tidy work area; disposing of waste in accordance with current legilsation
Core abilities
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Approaching installation of fire protection to the structural frame

You must:

  • Know and understand the programme of work to be carried out including the estimated and allocated time and why deadlines should be kept
  • Know and understand the types of progress charts, timetables and estimated times and the organisational procedures for reporting circumstances which will affect the work programme
  • Know and understand the importance of finding out which structural fire protection products have been approved

You must be able to:

  • Complete the work in accordance with organisational procedures, the programme of work and to meet the needs of others and the client
Core abilities
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The importance of structural fire protection

You must:

  • Know and understand the importance of passive fire protection and how it supports structural fire resistance
  • Know and understand how structural fire protection impedes fire to protect structures and people
  • Know and understand the importance of finding out which structural fire protection products have been approved

You must be able to:

  • Verify that a product has been approved for use in that particular situation
Core abilities
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Limits of responsibility: structural fire protection

You must:

  • Know and understand how and why it is important to recognise and determine when specialist skills and knowledge are required and report accordingly
  • Know and understand the importance of recognising the limits of your own authority
  • Know and understand that a construction product choice, substitution or recommendation cannot be made
  • Know and understand that if information on a construction product is communicated, the information must be passed on accurately and without changes from that created by the relevant authority
Core abilities
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Core installation of structural fire protection

You must:

  • Know and understand why it is important to identify and follow the installation quality requirements
  • Know and understand how and why to record the installation process throughout or as defined in the golden thread for:
    • accountability; traceability
  • Know and understand how to use all hand and power tools and associated equipment
  • Know and understand how and why operative care and maintenance of all hand and power tools and associated equipment
  • Know and understand how any problems with the methods of work and building conditions should be reported, including those that are within your authority to rectify
  • Know and understand the implications of incorrect installation
Core abilities
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Considerations for historical buildings

You must:

  • Know and understand the relevance of an assessment of significance
  • Know and understand how to recognise specific requirements for structures of special interest, traditional construction and historical significance
Core abilities
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Working as part of a team

You must:

  • Know and understand the importance of teamwork and communication
  • Know and understand the importance of mental health awareness and wellbeing
  • Know and understand the importance of applying fairness, inclusion and respect when dealing with others
Specific abilities
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Selecting resources for the application of thick film reactive coatings

You must:

  • Know and understand the substrate materials that are commonly used and their implications with the selected material and installation process
  • Know and understand the characteristics (compatibility, suitability and durability), quality, uses, sustainability, limitations and defects associated with the resources for applying thick film reactive coatings
  • Know and understand why the characteristics (compatibility, suitability, durability), quality, uses, sustainability, limitations and defects associated with the resources are important and how defects should be reported and rectified
  • Know and understand the organisational procedures to select resources, why they have been developed, and how they are used
  • Know and understand how to confirm that resources and materials conform with the specification
  • Know and understand how the resources should be stored, used and how any problems associated with the resources are reported in relation to:
    • abrasives; blast cleaning equipment; primers; detergents; fillers; scrim cloth; masking; thick film reactive base coats and top coats; cleansers / thinners; compatibility and suitability; durability; hand and power tools and associated equipment; specialist spray equipment; digital equipment; calibration and inspection records (batch numbers, daily reports)
  • Know and understand how to identify hazards associated with the resources and methods of work and how they are overcome
  • Know and understand methods of calculating the quantity, length, area, size, volume and wastage associated with the method and procedure to apply thick film reactive coatings

You must be able to:

  • Select the required quantity and quality of resources for the methods of work:
    • materials; components and fixings; tools and equipment
Specific abilities
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Meeting the contract specification when applying thick film reactive coatings

You must:

  • Know and understand how to conduct and calculate weight ratio checks
  • Know and understand coordination with and accounting for the needs of other occupations associated with applying thick film reactive coatings
  • Know and understand the effects of changing environmental conditions on the application process and when not to apply due to conditions not being suitable
  • Know and understand the scope and limitations of applying thick film reactive coatings
  • Know and understand how to follow the manufacturers' instructions for selection of material thickness for fire resisting requirements
  • Know and understand the implications of the generic interfaces between system types and building elements
  • Know and understand how to check and clean application equipment to manufacturers' instructions
  • Know and understand how to review the quality of application including dry-film thickness (DFT)
  • Know and understand how to finish final coat, prepare and apply top coat
  • Know and understand how to inspect and repair or refer defective and damaged coatings
  • Know and understand the importance of protection to secondary steels, connections and compartment walls (coatback)
  • Know and understand how untreated connections (block-outs) should be treated after steelwork erection
  • Know and understand how to complete terminations and prepare / mask untreated connections (block outs)
  • Know and understand the importance of loading and thickness tables and the relationship between DFT and WFT
  • Know and understand how to measure, prepare, cut, install and terminate scrim cloth materials in accordance with manufacturer instructions
  • Know and understand how to apply, control, and measure wet film thickness (WFT) of thick film reactive coatings to surfaces by spray, trowel and roller to manufacturers' instructions
  • Know and understand how to identify and follow the manufacturers' installation and quality requirements
  • Know and understand pot-life, working time
  • Know and understand how to identify, set-up and utilise application equipment:
    • single leg spray; plural component spray; hand application
  • Know and understand how to prepare and repair substrates
  • Know and understand how to install reinforcement mesh, if applicable
  • Know and understand how to assess the substrate condition for application
  • Know and understand how to prepare any galvanised steel and bolts
  • Know and understand how to measure the primer dry film thickness (DFT)
  • Know and understand how to inspect primer suitability for overcoating
  • Know and understand how to apply primer
  • Know and understand how to check primer compatibility
  • Know and understand how to clean, prepare for priming and inspect substrate
  • Know and understand how to review and record substrate and ambient conditions
  • Know and understand how to identify substrate and compatibility requirements
  • Know and understand how to meet manufacturers' instructions, recommended fire tested details and required contract specifications

You must be able to:

  • Comply with the contract information to apply thick film reactive coatings to manufacturers' instructions and recommended fire tested details, to the required specification
  • Review and record substrate ambient conditions for suitability before application
  • Prepare or repair substrates, including:
    • cleaning, preparing and inspecting substrate; checking primer compatibility; applying primer; inspecting primer for suitability for overcoating; measuring primer thickness; preparing any galvanised steel and bolts; abrading if required
  • Measure, prepare, cut, install and terminate scrim cloth materials in accordance with manufacturers' instructions
  • Prepare, apply and measure thick film reactive coatings to surfaces by spray, trowel and roller to manufacturers' instructions and recommended fire tested details, including:
    • checking suitability of application equipment; stirring; mixing; ratio checking; applying; installing reinforcement mesh if applicable; measuring wet and dry film thickness; finishing final coat (preparing for topcoat); following manufacturers' cleaning process for materials and equipment
  • Use and maintain hand and power tools and associated equipment
  • Follow manufacturers' cleaning process for materials and equipment
  • Review relevant daily inspection check or test records before use where appropriate
  • Record the installation process throughout or as defined in the Golden Thread for:
    • accountability; traceability

Currency of competence

Specific abilities

Culture & behaviour

Core abilities

Currency of competence

Specific abilities

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